Glacier Upsala (32 K)

From El Calafate take the Provincial Route 11 and the connection of the Provincial Route 5 to Puerto Bandera where one goes on board. After approximately 70 km one gets to the Upsala Glacier. In Puerto Las Vacas or on Bahía Onelli one leaves the boat where the catamaran stops during 3 hours. Here one has to walk 800 meters in a lenga (Nothofagus pumilio) forest to get to Lago Onelli. Here one can watch several glaciers: Onelli, Bolados, Agassiz, and Heim. One returns skirting the channel of the Spegazzini glacier, observing the glaciers Seco, Heim and Spegazzini, the walls of this glacier have the record of height among the glaciers that one visits in the region. Some of them measure 125 meters.

A variant of this trip is the tour Ríos de Hielo (Rivers of Ice). One visits the Upsala Glacier, Puerto Las Vacas or the area of Bahía Onelli, and then one gets back to Punta Bandera.. The catamaran has restaurant service; Bay Onelli has restaurants as well. Fare 79 $.

Northern Arm of Lago Argentino (only Upsala)
This is another option for the Upsala Glacier that includes a trekking of approximately 3 hours (with view to the Cerro Norte) along the Peninsula Herminita, to reach the Scientific Base of the Institute of Argentine Continental Ice, Refugio Upsala, Upsala Glacier, Murallón and Cono. Trip 45 $.

Brazo Sur del Lago Argentino
Leaving from Punta Bandera one sails the most abrupt fjord in the Andes surrounded by a thick forest arriving at the frontage of the Mayo Glacier that pours its floes into a small lake under the imposing pyramid of Cerro Mayo. From here one walks to the Cerro Negro and Negro Glacier and then one sails to the Moreno Glacier through the Canal de los Témpanos (Channel of the Floes) to disembark in Puerto Moreno to visit the gangplanks in front of the glacier.

Trip to the Lago. Roca 52 km from El Calafate you get to the Lago Roca along the Provincial Route 15, passing the farms Huyliche and Anita.. When entering the National Park Los Glaciares, Lago Roca Division, a change of vegetation is noticed because of the amount of rain in the Andes. Lago Roca is the best place for those who love fishing. The season begins in November and it ends in March. One can get brown trout, rainbow trout, and perch.
The area has sanitary services, a camping site, bicycle rental and fishing equipment rental. Trip 35 $.

The other glaciers are the Spegazzini, the Agassiz and the Onelli. The last two feed Lake Onelli, a beautiful lake full of icebergs surrounded by forests of lengas (Nothofagus pumilio), coihues (Nothofagus dombeyi) araucarias and mountains.